A Blog is Born

Starting a Blog is an endeavor I've thought about quite a bit over the past year, as my work as an ornithologist has brought me to many unique places and has led to many unforgettable experiences. The idea did not come to fruition sooner because travelling never allowed me the time or energy to write, but now that I'm re-rooted in my home of the Adirondack Mountains I have the time and the inspiration to start sharing my experiences.

A family of Common Loons on Taylor Pond

In the past year I worked in six states on various bird projects as a field biologist, more on that later. I worked with birds ranging from a small shorebird called a Red Knot to the well-loved Common Loon to predatory Peregrine Falcons. I worked in oceans, beaches, marshes, lakes, forests, and bogs. I've seen over 200 species of birds in my travels this year. I thought that when I returned to the Adirondacks I'd be less happy than I was before my travels, missing sights like flocks of shorebirds combing the beaches, dolphins jumping at the bow of our boat, and Gannets diving at schools of fish from the air. But more than ever I realize that my heart belongs to the Adirondacks, that those sights cannot compare with sights like a boreal chickadee flitting around a spruce tree, tamaracks turning golden yellow in the fall, or miles of continuous forests spread beneath you when you stand atop a mountain.

View of Keene Valley and the High Peaks Range from Giant Mtn.

I know that there are others who share this love of the Adirondacks, or a similar attachment to the place in which they live and explore. And I know that there are many others who, though they enjoy nature, miss the many wonders that nature offers on a daily basis. Like the emergence of a dragonfly, the blooming of the first trillium, the migration of wood frogs in late summer, or the irruption of pine siskins from the north in winter. I hope that my writings will find both kinds of people--those whose feelings echo my own and those who wish to know more about the world of plants and animals around them. I plan to to share the emotions that nature invokes in me, the knowledge I've gained about the natural world as a biologist, and the photos that I take in an attempt to capture nature's beauty. Feedback and questions are always welcome. Happy reading!